Director of Learning

ABOUT US

Beit Karam is a first-of-its-kind community organization for education, healing, and rebuilding in Syria. Founded in Aleppo, it is a home for possibility created for young people and families returning after years of displacement, as well as those who never left, to carry their communities forward.  Beit Karam is where Syrian youth discover their potential, explore creative learning, and shape the future of their communities. It’s where people access training and mentorship, and find a space to heal from trauma.  This work is made possible through our partnership with Karam Foundation and Karam Evi, two organizations committed to restoring dignity and rebuilding futures across the Syrian diaspora. Beit Karam deepens this mission by bringing it home.  We believe in building not just what was lost, but what was always possible. At Beit Karam, we are growing a generation of changemakers, dreamers, and leaders who will help shape a free, thriving Syria.

This year, we launched the first Karam Caravan, a mobile maker lab bringing fun,  creative, and learning activities directly to schools in and around Aleppo and Idlib. Together with our School Rehabilitation program, this new pathway for our innovative education program establishes a foundation for scaling our reach and impact in the education of Syria’s youth.

OVERVIEW

Beit Karam is seeking a Director of Learning to provide leadership in the design, implementation, and growth of Karam’s youth-focused learning and innovation ecosystem in post-conflict Syria. This role is responsible for transforming fragmented learning into a scalable, creative, and dignified educational experience that meets Syrian youth where they are and builds a future with them. 

This is not a traditional education role. The role is not about creating course content remotely or pushing standard learning indicators. Karam’s Director of Learning will be on the ground, leading a team and designing an educational infrastructure that merges studio-based learning, maker spaces, mentorship, and entrepreneurship into a new kind of personal and skill that is inspiring, personal, purposeful, and owned by the program participant.

The Director of Learning will manage the creation of learning environments where young Syrians not only learn, but also build, design, fail, start over, and lead. In succeeding, they will redefine the concept of “education” for youth who lost years, not potential, so that learning builds leaders, understanding, and opportunity.

OBJECTIVES

• Directly manage the Innovative Education Program, its initiatives, and team by providing them with direction and mentorship, and building the program's capacity and effectiveness. 

• Supervise the hiring of new Mentors, oversee onboarding and performance evaluation, and identify areas for continued technical, curriculum, and teaching development. 

• Serve as the primary point of contact for Karam’s program partner, NuVuX, to design, implement, and maintain continuous innovation in impact and scale. 

• Develop and implement Karam’s educational strategy, and advocate, consult, and negotiate with educators, policymakers, and government stakeholders to ensure long-term partnerships.

• Lead in developing strategies to attract and retain students in the programs through school- or community-based initiatives. 

• Advise national and local education authorities on integrating creative, studio-based, and project-driven learning into public educational systems.

• Lead Karam partnerships with local schools, ministries, and education authorities to secure access, align policies, and build trust.

• Translate programs into real-world outcomes, including portfolios, products, services, start-ups, and community projects.

• Guide the creation and integration of Karam’s studios, learning spaces, and entrepreneurial hubs in Syria that are flexible, modular, and scalable.

• Identify strategies and opportunities to involve local experts and leaders in the Syrian diaspora in the program, create student pathways, and bridge between the curriculum and employment and economic empowerment.  

• Help define key performance indicators, ensure the efficiency and quality of collected data, and participate in analysis. Ensure that lessons learnt are incorporated into program plans. 
• Develop and manage program plans and budgets.
  
  

QUALIFICATIONS

• An advanced degree (Masters or PhD) or a combination of an undergraduate degree and at least six years of experience working in education in development, emergencies, or post-conflict settings.
• A degree in education, engineering, architecture, international development, or similar fields. 
• Proficiency in Arabic and English
• Effective and persuasive communication skills. 
• Successful management of staff, teams, and budgets. 
• Experience working with a geographically dispersed leadership team and building effective working relationships across organizations, 
• Demonstrated ability to contribute to strategy, be accountable for action plans, and report on progress.
• Effective quantitative, qualitative, and systems thinking analytical skills. 
• A sense of urgency coupled with a drive of mission and the curiosity to experiment, test, and improve new ideas. 
• A willingness to do big things with limited resources and the creativity to make that happen.